The video is really upsetting but the reaction was problem more upseting. Maia Campbell, of In the House fame, is apparently now a prostitute. In the video she mentions a daughter that was taken from her – no doubt because she can’t get a handle on this mental illness or drug addiction. She ends the video talking about how she about to get beat up. I’m assuming the man who gets in the car and yells at her is her pimp. I can’t really tell what’s going on in the video, I mainly hear swears. She was most likely in a manic stage in the video.
I’ve read conflicting reports that Maia is suffering from bipolar disease or she is is suffering from schizophrenia. These two disease are not the same but are both incredibly to handle when the person refuses to take their meds. Her mother wrote the novel, 72 Hour Hold
She is apparently also a drug addict, which is like adding gasoline to a fire. Again, conflicting reports of crack or meth. People suffering from bipolar mood disorder use drugs to self medicate. If Maia was using lithium, she’d be calmer. I think because we so rarely identify someone acting wild as being in a manic state, we have don’t often connect mental illness with behavior. All that yelling and cursing and mumbling, that’s a mental illness staring you in your face. That’s someone who can’t afford, can’t remember or outright refuses to take their meds.
Some people thought the video was hilarious. The men filming it clearly did, they laughed through the whole thing. A lot of people were sad when they watched it. Thankfully Black Web 2.0 wrote a post urging others to write about Maia’s Truth. Although Maia Campbell’s not a top trending topic on twitter today, #Maiastruth still has some tweets coming.
The more I read about Maia, and see even more crazy videos and photos, the more my heart hurts. Yes, it is really difficult to live with/deal with/help someone with a mental illness, but they do need help. They need patience and forgiveness. I feel for her late mother, who tried so hard to bring mental illness out of “our collective closet.” I feel for her daughter. And mostly, I feel for her. I hope that she gets the help she needs, gets back on meds, talks to a therapist and gets her life back together.
peace,
e.
update: Maia’s family has found her and she is currently in treatment. Her family has also released a statement. I hope she stays and gets the help she needs.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Very well written, Eva. I feel so dearly for her too. I don’t see this as a laughing matter at all, and I felt extremely sad when I saw that video. That is someone’s daughter, and could be a sister, a friend, a neighbor. I pray to God she gets the help she needs and gets better.
Wow. I don’t even know what to say. That definitely hurt my heart to watch that video, and makes me sick that the guys behind the camera thought it in the least bit amusing.
I also hope she gets the help she needs. Thankfully, bipolar disorder (if that is exactly what she has) is something you can treat and live functionally with.
I believe Jennifer Lewis also struggled(/s) with bipolar disorder. When I heard that I started to wonder if the eccentric personality we know as Toni’s mother on Girlfriends and the other characters she plays are in some way a result of her disorder.
Wow, I stumbled upon Maia because she showed up as one of the top 10 searches on Yahoo. I wondered why, she hadn’t been in anything recently, so I clicked on it. I could not believe the video. I had no idea she was sick. I’d seen her on T.V. as that gorgeous beauty on “In the House.” I’m now reading her mom’s book “72 Hour Hold” and it is riveting! What’s sad is how she’s being taped and put on the internet. There’s a new video of her exposing herself and singing, it’s frightening. I’m afraid for her life/safety. Why are these men laughing and not helping her?? This could be anyone of us. I never really thought about mental illness, but it’s a monster to deal with, the book is gripping. I pray for Maia. And those laughing will get theirs!